Ours is a hurry-up culture. Maybe Sesame Street is to blame for our national attention deficit disorder, but we’ve diced and sliced up our days into one-minute, 30-second and even 15-second bits. If you doubt me, time the next commercial on radio or TV.

(We’re not immune, either. The archdiocese’s renewed English-language radio presence—820 AM Monday-Friday 9-10 a.m.—uses those same time slices for commercials and announcements.)

Ours also is an information society, so slicing and dicing our days into easier-to-grasp bits and pieces isn’t all bad.

Problem is, sometimes things move at such speed that we forget what we’re supposed to remember. Call it the “bring -it - in-the-front-push-it-out-the-back” syndrome.

Now that the fighting is, for the most part, over in Iraq, too many people forget there are still more than 100,000 Americans—men and women—with our armed forces in that country.

Yes, I know many people have complained that the pope and the U.S. bishops argued strongly against the war—and for lots of very good reasons. But opposing the war never meant not supporting the troops. For some people, however, the troops aren’t being remembered quite enough.

The Catholic New World heard (and still hears) from all quarters during these troubled times: How dare the church keep the American flag off the altar; where’s your patriotism? If the church didn’t favor the war, why are there prayers at Mass for soldiers and sailors? Or, conversely, why aren’t there more prayers for the troops at Mass? Or, why aren’t our parishes doing more for the families of soldiers serving overseas?

My experience (with which not everyone will agree) is that parishes are praying for peace AND praying for the troops. That last question, however, is a good one: Where is the help?

I was struck by efforts of The Home Depot, the building supply chain, which has begun a program gathering help for active-duty servicemen and servicewomen to keep their residences in repair. The tagline goes something like: “While they’re taking care of the homeland, we’ll help take care of their homes.”

Aside from a few good programs—through Catholic Charities and at the parish level—offering counseling for families of those serving overseas, efforts seem lacking to help cover the physical needs—food, clothing, bills and more. Many of the troops laboring in the Middle East are reservists who had to put better-paying civilian jobs on hold to serve their country. Yes, they had promised to do this, but neither should it bankrupt them.

Battlefield casualties have been relatively light (though frankly, one is one too many); wouldn’t it be terrible if financial casualties were so much the worse?

The Archdiocese of Chicago is very large—375 parishes, scores of agencies and programs—but we haven’t seen such parish efforts in place. A continuing spot-check of bulletins hasn’t turned up anything. If these caring programs exist, let us know; we’d like to share the good news.

That’s not to say that some parishes haven’t made an effort to acknowledge the service of the troops and honor them for their sacrifices. Dolores Madlener, veteran Church Clips columnist for The Catholic New World, has made a habit of acknowledging good deeds in her column. For instance:

u Kids at St. Florian School collected batteries, toiletries, razors and magazine for parishioners called off to war.

u St. Michael (Orland Park) began a ministry called CORPS (Correspondence Offering Recognition and Prayers to Servicemen and women)

u St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr School created a “prayer wall” with pictures of parish armed forces personnel.

There are others, too. If your parish has a program to financially (or physically) help families of troops serving overseas, God bless you. And let us know about it.

Time may speed past us these days, but that’s no excuse to forget.

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